Review Blog

Nov 01 2016

The wolves of Currumpaw by William Grill

Flying Eye Books, 2016. ISBN 9781909263833
Wolves. Hunting. Conservation of wildlife. New Mexico
History. At the turn of the century in New Mexico, European settlers
not only clashed with the native population but they also brought
farming methods which displaced native animals. Wolves were
particularly targeted for their attacks on stock. In the contest
between man and beast it is inevitable that the wolves were hunted
almost to extinction using cruel methods like trapping and
poisoning. One of the last was a legendary wolf which came to be
known as King Lobo. Wolf hunter and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton
is called in, eventually trapping his cunning prey, but at the last
moment he questions the killing of such noble animals. In this
graphic retelling of Seton's short story, Lobo: The king of
Currumpaw 1898, William Grill beautifully puts the story in
perspective with a lovely sense of place and time. The pastel
illustrations graphically tell the story both in series of small
pictures and double page spreads. The text lightly links the images,
inviting sharing the large format book and reading aloud; there is
much to look at while listening to the story. Seton's legacy is that
his changed attitude led to him devoting the rest of his life to
conserving American wildlife especially wolves. His inspiration,
nearly 100 years later led to the reintroduction of wolves into
Yellowstone National Park.
Younger readers will find the pictures easy to follow but may need
help with the text. Older readers may find a lot to discuss in the
evolution of man's relationship with wild animals and how attitudes
may be changed over time and through experience. There is a lot to
learn too from the graphic storytelling in the illustrations.
Sue Speck